Thinking about the current skill system, I see two drawbacks (as a new LE player, so I may change my mind later).
The current system doesn’t encourage testing with new skills when you get them.
When you get a new skill, you usually already have something in your specialization slot. As you have to unspec your skill to change it, there is a loss of progression plus the risk you don’t like the way the new skill works. This lead to a prudent approach when you don’t give the new skill the attention it deserves. A bit of free skill swapping would solve this issue.
Multiplayer is coming.
And there are good things, like roles in a party. But as you may want to play solo from times to times, or find parties with different needs, a modicum of free skill swapping is advisable.
What I suggest is to have a skill book (or grimoire, spell book, whatever you want to call it) in which you can equip skills (I think 7 is the right number). The general idea is:
you add skills in the skill book as part of building your character
you slot skills from the skill book to the task bar
only skills in the task bar gain experience (as current system)
allow skill swapping between skills in the skill book without loss of progression.
when removing a skill from the skill book, you loose the progression as with current system.
This skill book concept would works well with skill itemization:
instead of gaining skills by spending passive points (that is dull), you may gain them as drops after defeating bosses (far more rewarding), or as a quest rewards, or through a marchand.
It would be easier to add new spells later.
Each dropable skill has a passive point number requirement in the relevant passive tree to keep current restrictions.
It gives you the possibility to add skills that have requirements in more than a tree (to add skills specific for a blend of two mastery trees, for example).
book of skills could be accessible from equipment panel, as an inventory tab.
Skill book idea is cool, one thing that drove me away from PoE is decision paralysis, to many options to choose.
Hated the skills being tied to gems in PoE, love the way you unlock them here.
But would love a skill book in which you suggested. Maybe cap at 6 rather then 7, keeps choices meaningful, but allows more variety and potential skill usage for group related content.
the current design is to make swapping skills not the optimal option. You should be using the same 5 skills for clearing monoliths and fighting bosses. The book idea would go against that.
I would like more earlier experimentation for first time players. you don’t actually lose a lot when you change a skill early. The most you ever lose is 10 points at level 80. at level 40 you should have access to most skills and you lose about 5 levels or less. The problem is that it feels like a big loss when it really isn’t. One change I would like is the minimum level increased to match your normal skill level up to character level 25. Its not a big mechanical change but more for the psychology of loss that especially new players feel.
I don’t like the idea of random droped skills, because skills are the foundation of your build.
For the rest, I agree that the swapping/respec skills mechanic are not the best when you want to try a new skill.
One system I experimented with in my game designer days was a skill usage equals mastery system. You could use all of the skills, they were unlocked based on level/experience, but the most used skills were the ones you mastered and only could have five. There were 3-tiers. Mastery, proficient and trained. You could assign extra keys but not store them in your hot bar. Example raise corpse would be on a hidden R key. You still can gain skill mastery and benefits just not having it on your hot bar saves room for the really needed skills. The mastery skills would have options much like the skill trees we have now but were linear. Proficient just made improvement to modifiers such as damage or duration length.
I like your idea of skill usage = definitive mastery for that skill. Like this even if you change a skill to try another, you don’t loose the time it took to maximize it. And that would make respec less punitive.
